System and method for conference call initialization

ABSTRACT

A system and method for using a centralized conference call manager is provided for initiating conference calls. Users register with the centralized conference call manager to set up a conference call at a future date and time. When the designated time/date arrive, the centralized conference call manager contacts the various intended attendees using a variety of contact locations (e.g., office telephone, mobile telephone, home telephone, etc.). The system further allows an intended attendee to, when contacted by the centralized conference call manager, provide a different contact number that the conference call manager will use instead. An anticipated attendee can decline the call and provide a verbal reason for not being able to attend. The centralized conference call manager records the reason and, when requested, plays the reason back to the other attendees.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates in general to a system and method forinitiating telephone calls. More particularly, the present inventionprovides a system method for a centralized conference call manager toinitiating the conference call by calling parties at the designatedtime.

2. Description of the Related Art

Voice communication is the most common and one of the oldest forms ofreal-time remote communications. Real-time remote forms ofcommunications are very good alternatives to face-to-face meetings, inwhich real-time communication is an important aspect. Voicecommunications are used for casual conversations, to conduct business,to summon for help in an emergency, to access special services (such asbanking, retrieving messages), etc.

There are numerous types of devices operating over numerous types ofnetworks to facilitate voice communications. Most of the voice-capablenetworks are also capable of transmitting data. The most common voicecommunication device is the traditional telephone operating over thePublic Switched Telephone System (PSTN), also known as the Plain OldTelephone System (POTS). Through the PSTN, telephones are linked usingcomplex switching systems at central offices or exchanges that establisha pathway for voice to be transmitted and received between one or moreof the telephones. With appropriate devices, such as modems, forexamples, the PSTN can be used for the transmission of data. The PSTN isstill one of the most reliable networks for voice communication.

Voice communication can also be facilitated over the Internet or othersuch networks. Computers connected to the Internet first convert thevoice into digital information and then convert the information intodata packets. The packets are created according to the TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP), a set of rules used with the Internet Protocol(IP) to send data in the form of packets between computers over theInternet. IP handles the actual delivery of the data while TCP keepstrack of the individual data packets, into which the voice or other datais divided, for efficient routing through the Internet. The process oftransmitting voice over the Internet or other such networks is calledvoice-over-IP. Voice communication through the Internet is not asreliable as it is through the PSTN. Internet-type networks were designedfor data transmission where “real-time” transmissions are not necessary.The speed with which the packets move from one user to the other is verydependent on the type of connection each user establishes to theInternet, the type of computers/communication lines that exist betweenthe two users, the amount of traffic through the internet, etc.

Mobile phones and the wireless mobile network provide yet another methodfor voice communication. Through short-wave analog or digitaltransmissions, a user establishes a wireless connection from a mobiletelephone to a nearby transmitter. Generally, mobile telephone serviceis available in urban areas and along major highways. As the mobiletelephone user moves from one cell or area of coverage to another, themobile telephone is transferred from one transmitter to the next. Today,the mobile network may be accessed not only by traditional personalmobile phones but also by Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), notebookcomputers with special communications cards, combination devices, etc.Many of these networks are capable of also transmitting through a numberof existing protocols. Voice communication through the mobile network isalso not as reliable as voice communication through the PSTN. Dependingon the geography, certain areas may have better receptions than others.In large cities, for example, reception may be affected, for example, bybig buildings, etc. A user who moves into a no-reception “pocket” can be“dropped” from the call. A user may also be dropped while beingtransferred from one transmitter to the next. For example, a transmittermay be at full capacity and thus not be able to handle additional users.

Satellites provide another medium through which voice can betransmitted. A satellite is a specialized wireless receiver/transmitterlaunched by a rocket and placed in orbit around the earth. There arehundreds of satellites currently in operation. Geostationary satellites,the most common type of satellite, orbit the earth directly over theequator remaining over the same spot at all times. A geostationarysatellite can be accessed using an antenna aimed at the spot in the skywhere the satellite hovers. A low-earth-orbit (LEO) system employs alarge fleet of satellites in a circular orbit at a constant altitude ofa few hundred miles over the geographic poles. An LEO satellite systemoperates similarly to a mobile phone network where users are transferredfrom satellite to satellite. As with any other wireless system ofcommunication, reliability is a concern. The connection to the satellitemay be affected by such things as weather, obstacles between the userand the satellite (such as being inside a building).

These and other types of networks through which voice may be transmittedare linked with one another to facilitate voice communication across allof the networks. For example, a mobile phone user may establish atelephone call with a user connected through the PSTN, a user having asatellite phone, a user connected through the Internet, etc. Inaddition, communication may be established between more than two users.Some telephone devices and services are “three-way” capable andestablish communication between three users. Certain devices andservices have the capability to conference three or more users. Atelephone conference allows multiple parties to talk to each other inreal time.

Typically, a conference leader contacts a telecommunications serviceprovider and reserves a conference bridge, a computer-controlled devicefor interconnecting callers. The user reserves a certain number oftelephone lines at a specific date and time. The conference leader mayprovide each user with an access number and/or password/access code. Theusers dial in from any type of voice-capable communications device thatcan access the bridge.

As the number of users increases, it becomes increasingly difficult tocarry out the conference efficiently. At times, certain users may not beable to initially join the conference or a user may be dropped from aconference. The user, for example, may not be able to connect to (or maylose connection to) the conference due to problems with the user'shandset or device, due to problems with one or more of the networks ordue to too high network traffic, etc. In addition, the user may not beable to connect because of unexpected circumstances or because theuser's handset is not functioning. Furthermore, having users call into aconference call necessitates that each of the users remember to dialinto the conference on a particular date and time. When a user fails todial into the conference, the other participants to the conference calloften wind up waiting for the person to join the call or use othertelephones in order to attempt to locate and remind the absent user ofthe scheduled conference call.

What is desired, therefore, is a method and system that provides acentralized call manager that calls a group of conference call attendeesand initiates the conference call. What is further needed is a systemand method that can “find” an intended attendee using a number ofdifferent contact numbers. What is also needed is a system and methodthat keeps track of conference call data as well as messages forintended attendees that are unable to join the conference call and relaysuch information to the other attendees.

SUMMARY

It has been discovered that a system and method can be provided toaddress the aforementioned challenges. In particular, the system andmethod includes a centralized conference call manager that can beaccessed through a variety of networks (e.g., PSTN, the Internet, etc.)to set up a conference call at a future time and date.

When the designated time/date arrive, the centralized conference callmanager contacts the various intended attendees using a variety ofcontact locations (e.g., office telephone, mobile telephone, hometelephone, etc.). The system further allows an intended attendee to,when contacted by the centralized conference call manager, provide adifferent contact number that the conference call manager will useinstead. For example, suppose the conference call manager contacted anattendee using the attendee's mobile telephone but the attendee noticedthat his cell phone battery was running low, the attendee could providea call back number that the conference call manager would use to contactthe attendee and join the attendee to the conference call.

The centralized conference call manager also keeps track of datapertaining to the conference call. For example, is an intended attendeeis unable to attend (e.g., a more important meeting has been scheduled,the attendee needs to handle an emergency or crisis, etc.), the intendedattendee, when called by the centralized conference call manager, candecline the call and provide a verbal reason for not being able toattend. The centralized conference call manager records the reason and,when requested, plays the reason back to the other attendees. Thecentralized conference call manager also keeps track of when attendeesjoin the conference call and when they hang up or are dropped from theconference call.

The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity,simplifications, generalizations, and omissions of detail; consequently,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary isillustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Otheraspects, inventive features, and advantages of the present invention, asdefined solely by the claims, will become apparent in the non-limitingdetailed description set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be better understood, and its numerousobjects, features, and advantages made apparent to those skilled in theart by referencing the accompanying drawings. The use of the samereference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identicalitems.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram showing the centralized conference callmanager connected to various parties using a network;

FIG. 2 is a high level flowchart showing steps taken by a client toregister with the centralized conference call manager;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the centralized conference call managerregistration steps;

FIG. 4 is a high level flowchart showing steps taken by the centralizedconference call manager to initiate a conference call;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing steps taken by the centralized conferencecall manager to contact a party;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing steps taken by the centralized conferencecall manager when managing an active conference call; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an information handling system capable ofimplementing the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following is intended to provide a detailed description of anexample of the invention and should not be taken to be limiting of theinvention itself. Rather, any number of variations may fall within thescope of the invention which is defined in the claims following thedescription. As used herein, the terms “user,” “party,” “client,”“attendee,” “anticipated attendee,” and “contact” are usedinterchangeably to refer to a person or device that is joined to aconference call or otherwise interacts with the centralized conferencecall manager to perform conference call activities, as the context andother indicia (such as the figures) so indicate.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram showing the centralized conference callmanager connected to various parties using a network. Network 100interconnects centralized conference call manager 120 with the variousparties, such as Party A (105), Party B (110), and Party C (115). In oneembodiment, network 100 is a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).In another embodiment, network 100 is a computer network, such as theInternet, that is capable of transmitting voice data (e.g., voice overIP).

In the example shown in FIG. 1, Party A (105) and Party B (110) are bothshown registering with centralized conference call manager 120(registration data flows 125 and 130, respectively). The registrationsinform the centralized conference call manager that a conference call isbeing scheduled as well as provides the centralized conference callmanager with one or more telephone numbers to use when calling theparties for the conference call. Party C (115) is shown not registeringwith centralized conference call manager, but instead manually callsinto the conference call using telephone call 145 placed to thecentralized conference call manager. Registrations 150 are received bycentralized conference call manager 120 and stored in a nonvolatile datastore for subsequent retrieval.

When the date and time for the conference call arrive, centralizedconference call manager 120 initiates the conference call by placinginitialization calls 155 through network 100 to the various parties thathave registered for the conference call—in this case Parties A and B(105 and 110). The centralized conference call manager may attemptseveral calls to each of the registered parties based upon theinformation provided by the parties during registration.

For example, Party A (105) may have indicated a preference for receivinga call on his office telephone by leaving his office telephone numberwith the centralized conference call manager as the primary contactnumber. In addition, Party A may have provided alternative telephonenumbers, such as a mobile telephone number and a home telephone number,for the centralized conference call manager to use if Party A does notanswer when called at the preferred (office) telephone number. In thismanner, the centralized conference call manager “tracks down” theparties using preference information provided by the party.

Parties that registered for the conference call do not have to be asconcerned or take the same precautions (i.e., set alarms, etc.) so thatthey do not miss the conference call. This is because the centralizedconference call manager initiates the conference call alleviating theparty from the need to remember the exact date and time of the call orremembering a telephone number needed to call into the conference call.When a party is successfully tracked down, the party “joins” theconference call through calls that were placed by the centralizedconference call manager. In FIG. 1, Party A (105) joins by answeringcall 130 and Party B (110) joins by answering call 135, where both calls130 and 135 were placed by centralized conference call manager 120.

FIG. 2 is a high level flowchart showing steps taken by a client toregister with the centralized conference call manager. Processingcommences at 200 whereupon, at step 210, a party receives a noticeregarding an upcoming conference call. The notice can be received in anemail message, a telephone call, verbally during a discussion orin-person meeting, or any number of ways.

The party makes a determination as to whether to accept the notice andattend the upcoming conference call (decision 220). If the party decidesnot to attend the upcoming conference call, decision 220 branches to“no” branch 225 whereupon processing ends at 230.

On the other hand, if the party accepts the notice and decides to attendthe upcoming conference call, decision 220 branches to “yes” branch 235whereupon another determination is made. This time, the party decideswhether register with the centralized conference call manager or call inmanually (decision 240). If the party decides not to register with thecentralized conference call manager, decision 240 branches to “no”branch 245 whereupon the user will manually call into the conferencecall (step 250).

On the other hand, if the user decides to register with the centralizedconference call manager, decision 240 branches to “yes” branch 255whereupon the party registers the upcoming conference call with thecentralized conference call manager (predefined process 260, see FIG. 3and corresponding text for processing details). Processing thereafterends at 270.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the centralized conference call managerregistration steps. Client (i.e., “Party,” or “Conference Call Party,”etc.) registration process commences at 300 whereupon, at step 310, theclient contacts the centralized conference call manager using thenetwork (e.g., PSTN, the Internet, etc.).

Centralized conference call manager processing commences at 310whereupon, at step 315, the centralized conference call manager receivesthe registration materials from the client, such as an identifier (e.g.,a client code, one of the client's telephone numbers, etc.), a password,and other information regarding the client. At step 320, the centralizedconference call manager authenticates the client using the providedinformation.

A determination is made as to whether the client was successfullyauthenticated (decision 325). If the client was not successfullyauthenticated, decision 325 branches to “no” branch 327 whereupon, atstep 330, an error message is returned to the client over the network,and centralized conference call manager processing ends at 340.

On the other hand, if the client was successfully authenticated usingthe provided information, decision 325 branches to “yes” branch 343whereupon, at step 345, the centralized conference call manager promptsthe authenticated user for contact information, such as the time anddate of the conference call (or a conference call identifier if theconference call was already set up by someone else), and one or morephone numbers that the user desires that the centralized conference callmanager use when calling the user to initiate the conference call.

The client receives either an error message (if the client was notauthenticated) or a prompt for conference call contact information atstep 335. A determination is made as to whether the client received anerror (decision 350). If the client received an error (i.e., the clientwas not authenticated), then decision 350 branches to “yes” branch 353and client processing ends at 355. On the other hand, if the client didnot receive an error, decision 350 branches to “no” branch 357whereupon, at step 360, the client provides the conference call data tothe centralized conference call manager. The information can include oneor more phone numbers that the centralized conference call manager willuse to call the client and, if necessary, a conference, or meeting,identifier, or the date and time of the conference call. Clientregistration processing thereafter ends at 370.

Returning to centralized conference call manager processing, thecentralized conference call manager receives the client's contact dataat step 365. At step 375, the centralized conference call manager storesthe received contact data in data store 380 for subsequent retrieval andusage. Centralized conference call manager processing thereafter ends at385.

FIG. 4 is a high level flowchart showing steps taken by the centralizedconference call manager to initiate a conference call. Centralizedconference call manager call initialization processing commences at 400whereupon, at step 410, the centralized conference call manager readscontact data store 380 that includes the dates and times for allconference calls being managed by the centralized conference callmanager. When the date/time of the next conference call arrives,processing branches to step 420 whereupon data corresponding to thefirst party that registered for the conference call is read from datastore 380. The data, which may include several contact numbers, is usedto contact the selected party (predefined process 425, see FIG. 5 andcorresponding text for processing details). In one embodiment, two ormore of the anticipated attendees are called by the centralizedconference call manager in parallel in order to avoid delays in joiningthe attendees to the conference call. In another embodiment, the contactdata includes priority information that, if present, indicates an orderthat conference call attendees should be added to the conference call.For example, an initiator of the conference call may wish to be thefirst party joined to the conference call in order to make introductionsor otherwise greet attendees that subsequently join the conference call.

A determination is made as to whether the centralized conference callmanager was able to contact the party at one of the numbers provided bythe party (decision 430). If the party was unable to be contacted,decision 430 branches to “no” branch 435 whereupon, at step 440, arecord is made in call data store 450 indicating that one or moreattempts were made to contact the party but the party did not answer thecentralized conference call manager's initialization call(s).

On the other hand, if the party was contacted (i.e., the party answeredthe centralized conference call manager's initialization call), thendecision 430 branches to “yes” branch 455 whereupon the centralizedconference call manager manages the active conference call (predefinedprocess 470, see FIG. 6 and corresponding text for processing details).

A determination is made as to whether there are additional contacts(parties) that need to be called by the centralized conference callmanager and joined to the conference call (decision 475). If there areadditional parties to join to the conference call, decision 475 branchesto “yes” branch 485 whereupon, at step 490, the data corresponding tothe next party registered for the conference call is read from datastore 380. Processing then loops back to contact the party and, ifpossible, join the party to the conference call. This looping continuesuntil there are no more parties to contact and join to the conferencecall, at which point decision 475 branches to “no” branch 495 andprocessing loops back to wait until the date and time of the nextconference call.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing steps taken by the centralized conferencecall manager to contact a party. Processing commences at 500 whereupon,at step 510, the first contact data (e.g., telephone number) is readfrom contact data store 380. At step 520, the centralized conferencecall manager telephones the party using the contact data read from datastore 380. A determination is made as to whether the party answers thecall (decision 525).

If the party answers the call, decision 525 branches to “yes” branch 528to process the party and either join the party to the conference call,receive new callback data, or receive the party's request to decline thecall with an optional verbal reason provided by the party. At step 530,the centralized conference call manager plays an audible selection tothe party. For example, “You are being called to join Ms. Green's staffmeeting scheduled for Tuesday June 22^(nd) To join the conference call,press ‘1’. To decline the conference call, press ‘2’. To request thatthe centralized conference call manager call you back at, a differentnumber, press ‘3’.” The party would then make a selection, which isreceived at step 535.

The centralized conference call manager performs an action based uponthe party's selection (decision 540). If the party requested that thecentralized conference call manager call the party back at a differentnumber, decision 540 branches to branch 542 whereupon, at step 545, theuser is prompted for the callback number and the centralized conferencecall manager receives the callback number from the user. At step 548,the centralized conference call manager calls the user back at the newcallback number. The centralized conference call manager loops back todetermine if the user answered the call and, if answered, process theuser's selection. In one embodiment, the user can specify a delay sothat the centralized conference call manager waits for a certain periodof time before calling the callback number so the user has time, ifnecessary, to travel to the location of the callback number. Forexample, perhaps the centralized conference call manager called the userat the user's home using the user's mobile telephone number, but theuser noticed that his mobile telephone was running out of battery life.The user could request that the centralized conference call manager callthe user back at the user's home (land-line) telephone number.

Returning to decision 540, if the user decided to join the conferencecall, decision 540 branches to branch 548 whereupon, at step 550, theuser is joined to the conference call, an announcement is optionallyprovided (such as a chime or a vocal announcement e.g., “John Smith hasjoined the conference call,” etc.). Data regarding the user's joining ofthe conference call (i.e., timestamp, phone number used, etc.) iswritten to call data store 450.

Again returning to decision 540, if the user declines the centralizedconference call manager's invitation to join the conference call,decision 540 branches to branch 552 whereupon, at step 555, the user isprompted to provide an verbal reason for declining the call. Dataregarding the user declining the conference call is recorded in calldata store 450 (i.e., timestamp, phone number used, the user's reasonfor declining the invitation, etc.). In one embodiment, one or moreanticipated attendees, such as the initiator of the conference call, isallowed to “cancel” the conference call and provide an explanation orreason to the other attendees. When a user “cancels” the conferencecall, the other anticipated attendees are contacted and the cancellationnotice is played to the anticipated attendees. If other attendees arealready joined to the conference call, then the centralized conferencecall manager plays the cancellation notice to those attendees and endsthe conference call. In addition, attendees that manually call into theconference call are also played the cancellation notice.

After the user's selection (join, or decline) has been processed,processing returns to the calling routine at 595.

If the party does not answer the centralized conference call manager'sinitialization call, decision 525 branches to “no” branch 565 whereuponanother determination is made as to whether there is additional contactdata (e.g., additional phone numbers) to use to try an contact the party(decision 570). If there is additional contact data, decision 570branches to “yes” branch 573 whereupon, at step 575, the next contactdata corresponding to the party is read from contact data store 380 andprocessing loops back to attempt reaching the party using the newly readcontact data. This looping continues until either the party answers oneof the calls (decision 525 branching to “yes” branch 528), or there isno more contact data corresponding to the party for the centralizedconference call manager to use, at which point decision 570 branches to“no” branch 578.

If the centralized conference call manager runs out of contact data touse to try to contact the party (decision 570 branching to “no” branch578), then another determination is made as to whether to use the user'scontact data and try to contact the user again (decision 580). Forexample, the user may have requested that the centralized conferencecall manager try each of user's contact numbers three times beforerecording that the user was not available to take the call. If thecentralized conference call manager is going to try again, then decision580 branches to “yes” branch 585 whereupon processing loops back to trycontacting the user starting with the user's first-listed contact data.This looping continues until either the user is contacted (decision 525branching to “yes” branch 528), or a decision is made to not try andcontact the user again, whereupon decision 580 branches to “no” branch590 and processing returns at 595.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing steps taken by the centralized conferencecall manager when managing an active conference call. Processingcommences at 600 whereupon, at step 605, actions are performed while oneor more users are actively engaged in a conference call. From time totime, users can request information from the centralized conference callmanager. At step 610 a request is received from one of the users.

A determination is made as to whether the request was for a list ofparties that declined to join the conference call (decision 615). If therequest was for a list of parties that declined to join the conferencecall, decision 615 branches to “yes” branch 618 whereupon, at step 620information regarding the next (first) party that declined to join theconference call is retrieved from call data store 450. At step 625, thecentralized conference call manager audibly plays data regarding thedeclined party (i.e., the timestamp of when the user was contacted, aphone number (if not private) that was used to contact the party, etc.).In addition, at step 630, if the party left a message as to why he orshe was unable to attend the conference call, then the message is playedby the centralized conference call manager. A determination is made asto whether there is data regarding additional parties that declined tojoin the conference call (decision 635). If there are additional partiesthat declined to join the conference call, decision 635 branches to“yes” branch 636 whereupon processing loops back to read and playbackthe data regarding the next party that declined. This looping continuesuntil data for all declined parties has been retrieved and played back,at which time decision 635 branches to “no” branch 638 and loops back tostep 610 to receive the next request from one of the users.

Returning to decision 615, if the request is not for a list of partiesthat declined to join the conference call, then decision 615 branches to“no” branch 645 whereupon another determination is made as to whetherthe request is to add a new caller (decision 650). For example, someonecalling into the conference call that did not register with thecentralized conference call manager. If the request is to add a newcaller, then decision 650 branches to “yes” branch 652 to process thenew caller.

At step 655 the new caller is authenticated (i.e., using an identifier,PIN code, etc.). If the new caller is authenticated, the centralizedconference call manager, at step 660, joins the new party to theconference call. At step 665, the centralized conference call managerrecords information about the new caller, such as the timestamp andphone number used, in call data store 450. At step 670, an announcementis optionally provided (such as a chime or a vocal announcement e.g.,“John Smith has joined the conference call,” etc.). Processingthereafter loops back to receive the next request from a user.

Returning to decision 650, if the request was not for a list of declinedparties nor for adding a new caller, decision 650 branches to “no”branch 672 whereupon a determination is made as to whether the requestis to drop one of the parties from the conference call (i.e., the userhung up, the phone was disconnected, etc.). If the request was not todrop a caller, decision 675 branches to “no” branch 677 whereupon, atstep 677 a different (“other”) request is handled by the centralizedconference call manager. On the other hand, if the request was to drop auser from the conference call, decision 675 branches to “yes” branch 676whereupon, at step 680, the timestamp corresponding to the time that theuser dropped from the conference call is recorded in call data store450. A determination is made as to whether there are any more activeconference call participants (decision 685). If there are still activeconference call participants, decision 685 branches to “yes” branch 688whereupon processing loops back to handle the next request from a user.On the other hand, if there are no more conference call participants,decision 685 branches to “no” branch 692 whereupon the conference callis ended at 695.

FIG. 7 illustrates information handling system 701 which is a simplifiedexample of a computer system capable of performing the operationsdescribed herein. Computer system 701 includes processor 700 which iscoupled to host bus 705. A level two (L2) cache memory 710 is alsocoupled to the host bus 705. Host-to-PCI bridge 715 is coupled to mainmemory 720, includes cache memory and main memory control functions, andprovides bus control to handle transfers among PCI bus 725, processor700, L2 cache 710, main memory 720, and host bus 705. PCI bus 725provides an interface for a variety of devices including, for example,LAN card 730. PCI-to-ISA bridge 735 provides bus control to handletransfers between PCI bus 725 and ISA bus 740, universal serial bus(USB) functionality 745, IDE device functionality 750, power managementfunctionality 755, and can include other functional elements not shown,such as a real-time clock (RTC), DMA control, interrupt support, andsystem management bus support. Peripheral devices and input 20 output(1200) devices can be attached to various interfaces 760 (e.g., parallelinterface 762, serial interface 764, infrared (IR) interface 766,keyboard interface 768, mouse interface 770, fixed disk (HDD) 772coupled to ISA bus 740. Alternatively, many 1200 devices can beaccommodated by a super 1200 controller (not shown) attached to ISA bus740.

BIOS 780 is coupled to ISA bus 740, and incorporates the necessaryprocessor executable code for a variety of low-level system functionsand system boot functions. BIOS 780 can be stored in any computerreadable medium, including magnetic storage media, optical storagemedia, flash memory, random access memory, read only memory, andcommunications media conveying signals encoding the instructions (e.g.,signals from a network). In order to attach computer system 701 toanother computer system to copy files over a network, LAN card 730 iscoupled to PCI bus 725 and to PCI-to-ISA bridge 735. Similarly, toconnect computer system 701 to an ISP to connect to the Internet using atelephone line connection, modem 775 is connected to serial port 764 andPCI-to-ISA Bridge 735.

While the computer system described in FIG. 7 is capable of executingthe invention described herein, this computer system is simply oneexample of a computer system. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat many other computer system designs are capable of performing theinvention described herein.

One of the preferred implementations of the invention is an application,namely, a set of instructions (program code) in a code module which may,for example, be resident in the random access memory of the computer.Until required by the computer, the set of instructions may be stored inanother computer memory, for example, on a hard disk drive, or inremovable storage such as an optical disk (for eventual use in a CD ROM)or floppy disk (for eventual use in a floppy disk drive), or downloadedvia the Internet or other computer network. Thus, the present inventionmay be implemented as a computer program product for use in a computer.In addition, although the various methods described are convenientlyimplemented in a general purpose computer selectively activated orreconfigured by software, one of ordinary skill in the art would alsorecognize that such methods may be carried out in hardware, in firmware,or in more specialized apparatus constructed to perform the requiredmethod steps.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that,based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from this invention and its broader aspects and,therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope allsuch changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scopeof this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that theinvention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will beunderstood by those with skill in the art that if a specific number ofan introduced claim element is intended, such intent will be explicitlyrecited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no suchlimitation is present. For a non-limiting example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimelements. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim element by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim element to inventions containing only one such element,even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more”or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an”; the sameholds true for the use in the claims of definite articles.

1. A method comprising: registering a conference call with a centralizedconference call manager, the registering including receivingregistration data, wherein the registration data includes a time and adate of the anticipated conference call and one or more telephonenumbers for each of a plurality of anticipated conference callattendees; storing the registration data at the centralized conferencecall manager; initiating, from the centralized conference call manager,the conference call between a plurality of the anticipated attendees,wherein the initiating includes calling the anticipated attendees usingthe stored telephone numbers at the stored date and time; receiving ananswer from one or more of the anticipated attendees; and joining one ormore of the anticipated attendees from which an answer is received inthe conference call.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:providing the anticipated attendees from which an answer is receivedwith a plurality of service options; and receiving a selection from eachof the anticipated attendees, wherein the joining is performed inresponse to one of the selections.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein oneof the selections is a callback selection, the method furthercomprising: receiving, from at least one of the anticipated attendeesfrom which an answer is received, the callback selection and a callbacktelephone number; and calling the anticipated attendee corresponding tothe callback selection using the received callback telephone number. 4.The method of claim 2, wherein one of the selections is a declineconference call selection, the method further comprising: receiving,from one of the anticipated attendees from which an answer is received,the decline conference call selection and a verbal response; and storingthe verbal response on a nonvolatile storage device accessible from thecentralized conference call manager.
 5. The method of claim 4 furthercomprising: playing the verbal response to one or more of theanticipated attendees that joined the conference call, wherein theplaying is performed in response to one of the anticipated attendeesthat joined the conference call requesting a list of declined partiesfrom the centralized conference call manager.
 6. The method of claim 1further comprising: receiving a drop request from one or more of theattendees that joined the conference call; dropping the attendees fromwhom the drop request was received from the conference call; storing ajoined timestamp for the attendees that corresponding to the time thateach attendee joined the conference call on the nonvolatile storagedevice; and storing a dropped timestamp corresponding to the time atwhich each of the dropped attendees was dropped from the conferencecall.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of anticipatedattendees are called in parallel by the centralized conference callmanager.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the initiating occurs in apredetermined order with one of the anticipated attendees is calledbefore other anticipated attendees based upon the predetermined order.9. The method of claim 1 wherein the initiating occurs in apredetermined order with one of the anticipated attendees is calledbefore other anticipated attendees based upon the predetermined order.10. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving a cancel requestfrom one of the anticipated attendees that joined the conference call;calling the other anticipated attendees; and playing a message to eachof the other anticipated attendees indicating that the conference callhas been cancelled in response to the other anticipated attendeesanswering the call initiated from the centralized conference callmanager.
 11. An information handling system comprising: one or moreprocessors; a memory area accessible by the processors for storingtelephone call data; a transmitter for transmitting voice input receivedover a telephone network; a receiver for receiving voice data from thetelephone network; a nonvolatile storage device accessible from theprocessors; and a conference call tool joining anticipated attendees toa conference call, the conference call tool including software effectiveto: register a conference call with the information handling system, theregistration including software effective to receive registration data,wherein the registration data includes a time and a date of theanticipated conference call and one or more telephone numbers for eachof a plurality of the anticipated conference call attendees; store theregistration data on the nonvolatile storage device; initiate theconference call between a plurality of the anticipated attendees bycalling the anticipated attendees using the stored telephone numbers atthe stored date and time; receive an answer from one or more of theanticipated attendees; and join one or more of the anticipated attendeesfrom which an answer is received in the conference call.
 12. Theinformation handling system of claim 11 wherein the conference call toolfurther comprises software effective to: provide the anticipatedattendees from which an answer is received with a plurality of serviceoptions; and receive a selection from each of the anticipated attendees,wherein the software effective to join the attendees is executed inresponse to one of the selections.
 13. The information handling systemof claim 12, wherein one of the selections is a callback selection,wherein the conference call tool further comprises software effectiveto: receive, from at least one of the anticipated attendees from whichan answer is received, the callback selection and a callback telephonenumber; and telephone the anticipated attendee corresponding to thecallback selection using the received callback telephone number.
 14. Theinformation handling system of claim 12, wherein one of the selectionsis a decline conference call selection, wherein the conference call toolfurther comprises software effective to: receive, from one of theanticipated attendees from which an answer is received, the declineconference call selection and a verbal response; and store the verbalresponse on the nonvolatile storage device; and play the verbal responseto one or more of the anticipated attendees that joined the conferencecall.
 15. The information handling system of claim 12 wherein theconference call tool further comprises software effective to: receive,front one of the attendees that joined the conference call, a declinedparties list request, wherein the software used to play the verbalresponse is executed in response to receiving the declined parties listrequest.
 16. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein theconference call tool further comprises software effective to: receive adrop request from one or more of the attendees that joined theconference call; drop the attendees from whom the drop request wasreceived from the conference call; store a joined timestamp for theattendees that corresponding to the time that each attendee joined theconference call on the nonvolatile storage device; and store a droppedtimestamp corresponding to the time at which each of the droppedattendees was dropped from the conference call.
 17. The informationhandling system of claim 11 wherein the conference call tool furthercomprises software effective to: receive a cancel request from one ofthe anticipated attendees that joined the conference call; call theother anticipated attendees; and play a message to each of the otheranticipated attendees indicating that the conference call has beencancelled in response to the other anticipated attendees answering thecall initiated from the centralized conference call manager.
 18. Acomputer program product stored on a computer operable media, thecomputer program product comprising software adapted to: register aconference call with a centralized conference call manager, wherein theregistration data includes a time and a date of the anticipatedconference call and one or more telephone numbers for each of aplurality of the anticipated conference call attendees; store theregistration data on a nonvolatile storage device; initiate theconference call between a plurality of the anticipated attendees bycalling the anticipated attendees using the stored telephone numbers atthe stored date and time; receive an answer from one or more of theanticipated attendees; and join one or more of the anticipated attendeesfrom which an answer is received in the conference call.
 19. Thecomputer program product of claim 18 wherein the conference call toolfurther comprises software effective to: provide the anticipatedattendees from which an answer is received with a plurality of serviceoptions; and receive a selection from each of the anticipated attendees,wherein the software effective to join the attendees is executed inresponse to one of the selections.
 20. The computer program product ofclaim 19, wherein one of the selections is a callback selection, whereinthe conference call tool further comprises software effective to:receive, from at least one of the anticipated attendees from which ananswer is received, the callback selection and a callback telephonenumber; and telephone the anticipated attendee corresponding to thecallback selection using the received callback telephone number.
 21. Thecomputer program product of claim 19, wherein one of the selections is adecline conference call selection, wherein the conference call toolfurther comprises software effective to: receive, from one of theanticipated attendees from which an answer is received, the declineconference call selection and a verbal response; and store the verbalresponse on the nonvolatile storage device.
 22. The computer programproduct of claim 21 wherein the conference call tool further comprisessoftware effective to: play the verbal response to one or more of theanticipated attendees that joined the conference call in response toreceiving a request from one of the attendees that joined the conferencecall for a list of declined parties.
 23. The computer program product ofclaim 18 wherein the conference call tool further comprises softwareeffective to: receive a drop request from one or more of the attendeesthat joined the conference call; drop the attendees from whom the droprequest was received from the conference call; store a joined timestampfor the attendees that corresponding to the time that each attendeejoined the conference call on the nonvolatile storage device; and storea dropped timestamp corresponding to the time at which each of thedropped attendees was dropped from the conference call.
 24. The computerprogram product of claim 18 wherein a plurality of anticipated attendeesare called in parallel by the centralized conference call manager. 25.The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the initiating occursin a predetermined order with one of the anticipated attendees is calledbefore other anticipated attendees based upon the predetermined order.26. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the initiatingoccurs in a predetermined order with one of the anticipated attendees iscalled before other anticipated attendees based upon the predeterminedorder.
 27. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein theconference call tool further comprises software effective to: receive acancel request from one of the anticipated attendees that joined theconference call; call the other anticipated attendees; and play amessage to each of the other anticipated attendees indicating that theconference call has been cancelled in response to the other anticipatedattendees answering the call initiated from the centralized conferencecall manager.